SPRINGFIELD – On Wednesday, State Senator Terry Link (D-Vernon Hills) passed legislation that would expand gaming revenues in the state to help put Illinois’ fiscal house back in order.

“We need to be looking at all avenues to shore up our fiscal house,” Link said. “A part of that solution should be gaming expansion.”

Senate Bill 7, sponsored by Link, would authorize the building of six new casinos throughout the State of Illinois, including locations in Chicago and Lake County. The proposal will increase revenues for the state and local communities and would also create thousands of part-time and full-time jobs at casinos and racinos across the state.

“States like Indiana and Wisconsin are scooping up our gaming revenues because of the lack of opportunity in Illinois,” Link said. “That money could be spent on our schools, our social services and our fiscal problems. This legislation will allow us to do that.”

The legislation also would allow current riverboats or casinos to expand from 1,200 machines per location to 1,600 machines.

SPRINGFIELD – After over thirty changes to legislation that would significantly reform the way Illinois does business, State Senator Terry Link (D-Vernon Hills) joined colleagues to attempt to push forward with a plan to put Illinois’ fiscal house back in order.

“We have tried again and again to close the gap that the governor insists is still there,” Link said. “We tried to compromise and yet we are left empty-handed because this governor wants to campaign instead of govern. The people of Illinois are tired of being close and are demanding results.”

Senator Link continues to work toward finding a path that avoids putting Illinois closer to the point of no return.

“We should make it easier to vote, not harder,” Link said. “This legislation will ensure that every Illinois resident who is eligible to vote doesn’t have to go through the sometimes burdensome process to register. This only enhances the voice of the voter during an election.”

Senate Bill 1933 would automatically register a qualified voter who presents all the information necessary to register to a government agency. This would most commonly occur at the secretary of state’s office who would then forward the information to the State Board of Elections for verification.

If a person does not wish to register they would be given the option to opt out.

SPRINGFIELD – Spouses of servicemen and women could be able to claim a property tax credit thanks to legislation sponsored by State Senator Terry Link (D-Vernon Hills) that passed the Illinois State Senate.

The legislation, Senate Bill 87, would extend the Disabled Veterans Standard Homestead Exemption to all spouses of military members who would have otherwise been eligible for the credit. It also would expand it to spouses of veterans who was killed in the line of duty and their death was determined to be service-related.

“Spouses of military members make significant sacrifices when their husband or wife serve in our armed services. Those sacrifices should be honored,” Link said. “This is just one small thing we can do as a state to respect that sacrifice.”